I Became a Fake Priest the Saintess Is Obsessed With

20 – Getting Drunk on White Wine in Broad Daylight

I believe that when you need to reprimand someone, it’s better to approach them gently rather than with an oppressive attitude.

Every human makes mistakes, and there must be reasons that are beyond their control.

—

Without knowing anything, speaking loudly could only make one disliked. So, rather than scolding blindly, it’s better to understand the situation and reprimand carefully.

Even now, I tried to figure out what Saint Amelia had in mind when she deceived me.

“Please tell me your circumstances, Saint Amelia.”

“Yes…”

Saint Amelia had been deceiving the innocent me by using cosmetics purchased from Witchcraft that made her skin appear as if it were rotting.

Honestly, it was a bit strange.

I had never heard of a disease I healed with my abilities relapsing.

There had never been any flaw in my absolute cures.

But the curse of Saint Amelia kept recurring, which was odd.

Moreover, it was strange that she felt no pain after the initial treatment.

Saint Amelia is kneeling before me.

It’s somewhat embarrassing to see a grown woman doing this in front of me, but since there’s no one else in the room and she’s doing it on her own without my asking, I didn’t bother to make her stand.

“I wanted… your attention…”

“…What?”

“I wanted to get the attention of Priest Ivan!!!”

It was perplexing.

Such sudden words were startling.

“What do you mean by saying you did all this to get my attention…?”

“Exactly as I said. I committed all these misdeeds to gain your attention, Priest…”

So, why on earth would you do that?

—

I never expected to hear such a ridiculous answer and was momentarily dumbfounded.

I was just an ordinary priest working on the front lines.

Why would someone like the saintly lady seek attention from me?

“May I ask why you wanted my attention?” I politely inquired.

“…Before I became a saint, I lived in a poor household.”

Her revelation seemed unrelated to my question, but if the lady was willing to share, I decided to go along with her intention.

“Everyone goes through tough times.”

“Yes. But I don’t think it was difficult back then. I even consider those days happier than now.”

“…Why is that?”

“To become a messenger of God, I had to sever ties with worldly connections. I had to cut off the bond with one precious person from my past.”

Her long-held sorrow burst out of her.

How could she speak of her sorrow with such a strained voice, having severed such a connection?

“If it’s not too intrusive, could you tell me who that person was?”

“She was a little girl. Same age as me, but brighter than any adult.”

She paused for a moment.

“Her long silver hair was fragrant, her long eyelashes, delicate skin, and red lips seemed to gather all the loveliness of this world.”

“Just hearing about her, she sounds like a beauty.”

“She truly was. Normally, one would feel jealous if a peer was so beautiful, but her appearance was so lovely that it evoked a sense of awe rather than jealousy.”

A small smile appeared on the lips of the saint.

“She was my friend, my family, and my mentor. She provided me a place to return, always treated me kindly, and taught me how to count the stars.”

Merely thinking about the old connection stirred various emotions—sadness and joy. With those mixed feelings, she could manage a sparkling smile with sorrowful eyes.

“I’m sorry, Father. I wanted your attention because I saw similarities between that child and you. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop, as your touch felt the same as what the child experienced.”

Erasing a connection forged over a lifetime in a moment is undeniably a challenging task.

To forget a precious connection and move forward sounds easy in words, but throughout life, someone’s shadow haunts, making one lonely. The attempt to crush that shadow becomes painful.

And I can only forgive her because I understand that pain.

Honestly, comparing myself to anyone feels a bit absurd,

But I should take it positively if I seem similar to a good person just by words.

“…So, do I no longer need to come to treat the saint?”

If the saint’s curse was a problem until now, realizing it, there was no need to come for treatment.

“Yes… I’ll tell Sister Selena that you no longer need treatment.”

“Wait a moment.”

Come to think of it, all the volunteering and tasks related to becoming a captain or a priest were because of the duty to heal the saint.

But suddenly stop treating the saint?

I should be running around to heal the wounded soldiers just like before.

No. I hate that.

I absolutely hate it.

Throwing away the freedom I worked so hard to gain like this?

I’d rather feed Sili only high-quality food and never trade my freedom.

I grasped the hands of the holy maiden.

“No, Your Holiness. If my touch feels like an old friend’s, I can always treat you, Your Holiness.”

“Priest…”

“So, let’s keep this matter a secret from Sister Selena. If you ever need me, I’ll always run to you, Your Holiness.”

It’s a bit bothersome to run just because she calls, but it’s a hundred, no, a thousand times better than treating hellish wounds.

“Thank you for understanding, Priest… So, can you still comfort me now?”

“Yes? Ah… well, that’s possible.”

There’s really no choice.

To ask for a favor right after forgiving her sins…

But still, it seemed worth it if it helped her feel better.

Maybe just pat her on the shoulder or something…

However, contrary to expectations, the holy maiden raised the hem of her skirt.

What?

Contrary to my careless thoughts, it seemed the holy maiden wanted a proper treatment.

“Well then… please do it as usual, Priest…”

Ah… such a fulfilling and indulgent treatment…

Not bad at all?

[The goddess commands you to go out and die.]

***

In this world, there are various kinds of people.

A person who wants to gain the attention of subordinate priests by making a fuss about wanting to be recognized as a saint,

someone who boldly challenges the topic asserted by the Marquis claiming to be virtuous, even resorting to fists instead of words,

and a strange saint who tries to convert priests from other sects.

But I’ve never seen someone like this in all my life.

“Cough… Hey, try some alcohol.”

“I’m a bit weak to alcohol…”

A nun, standing shoulder to shoulder with me in broad daylight with the sun shining high in the sky, urging me to drink while waving a bottle of liquor with a wooden cup. I’ve truly never seen such a thing before.

On my way out of the saint’s room after finishing work, what kind of bizarre situation is this?

The woman was an impressive elf with golden hair falling down to her shoulders, deep blue eyes, and long ears.

She was wearing the sect’s distinctive black robe, but for some reason, she had modified and exposed parts of the outfit, perhaps feeling restricted in some way.

Whether to focus on her extravagant figure or not, one couldn’t help but notice the golden cross engraved on her sleeve.

The cross on the sleeve serves as a badge indicating the clergy’s rank.

You can distinguish the rank of a clergy member by the color of the cross: gold for high-ranking, silver for middle-ranking, bronze for common priests, and trainees wear only a plain cross.

Most clergy members in the cathedral have silver crosses engraved, but the golden cross on her sleeve meant she was a high-ranking clergy member, implying she was my superior. Therefore, I couldn’t easily escape from her embrace.

“Well, that’s even better! Isn’t it fun to get a bit drunk? I envy you…”

“No, it’s not good. I’m afraid of causing trouble while drunk.”

“Hmm? Why think about causing trouble? Getting drunk feels good, you know?”

Why a high-ranking clergy member is drinking in broad daylight is a mystery in itself, but why is this person so obsessed with alcohol? The act of drinking can certainly be enjoyable.

After all, on festive occasions, there are those who seek alcohol first to celebrate, so I won’t deny that drinking brings a sense of joy.

However, I have distanced myself from the existence of alcohol both in my past life and in this life because I intensely dislike showing a disgraceful appearance to others while under the influence.

“Well, come on, have a drink. You’ll definitely feel good if you do~? It’s like floating, and…”

The elf priest, who paid no attention to my warm gaze, thrust the bottle of alcohol he had been holding into my face.

“I really don’t like it…”

“Don’t say that~ Just a sip! Just one gulp is fine, so try it!”

Yeah… I know that conversation doesn’t work with a drunkard.

Instead of arguing, let’s just take a proper sip, considering they probably won’t let go even if I resist…

I grabbed the bottle of alcohol that was close to my face and took a sip without hesitation.

The cold yet warm liquid feels like it’s passing through my throat and going down into my stomach.

Certainly uncomfortable and not exactly pleasant, but…

“Sip! Wow~ this is great! What kind of alcohol is this?”

“It’s called white liquor! If you drink it during the day, you get drunk quickly!”

The feeling… is so refreshing.

It’s like trampling on clouds floating in the sky.

My body feels light, and it seems like I can go anywhere, but my mind is dizzy, and I don’t feel like going anywhere.

“Well then, let’s go~! Let’s go outside!”

The elf who gave me the drink still held onto my wrist and ran off somewhere.

“Yes~! Let’s go!”

I shouted loudly because being led away feels so good.

It doesn’t matter where we’re going.

I feel like I could go anywhere right now.